Two is Always Bad
by Amelia Bell
Summary: Zia is an abnormal fourteen year old girl who can bend the elements earth and fire. She's been kidnapped, abused, and tortured in the seven years of being alone, traveling the world. When meeting up with a certain Fire Nation prince, she has to decide between staying with him or going with the Avatar.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

**Zia's POV**

Stay strong, don't back down, you can do this Zia. Those were the encouraging words the Kingdom was telling me. Of course, they are going to be in their cozy homes, while I am going to search for the Red Dragon.

I blew in my hands to warm them up. Fire came out of my mouth and warmed my hands up. I am a firebender; the only one in the world that can earthbend too. Usually, the only person who can bend more than one element is the Avatar, but whoever that is hasn't been seen in one hundred years. The Avatar can bend the four elements; fire, air, water, and earth. I can only bend two of the elements.

You see, my mom was an earthbender, and my dad was a firebender. My dad was taken prisoner by the Fire Nation and died three months after. Although he was born in the Fire Nation, they called him a traitor and took him away from us. My mom died a month after the Fire Nation told us my dad was dead. She got so sick from despair that she couldn't live in this world without the love of her life. She left me here to go to the Spirit World to be with him. My mom and dad died when I was seven; so I have been an orphan for seven years now. I have been kidnapped, tortured and abused in those seven years.

Bam! "Ow, ow, owwww! My toe!" I cried out to the cold winter night. I guess that's what I get for thinking about my past. I looked down to see a small rock about the size of my fist sticking out of the ground. Growling, I stomped my other foot and the rock sank quickly into the ground by my eartbending.

_Well that's going to leave a big bruise. _I thought, trying not to use my big toe to walk. I kept on walking on my right heel until I got to the forest, where the Red 'Dragon' supposedly lived.

All of a sudden, I could hear loud voices coming out of the trees, and I stopped where I was. They slowly faded away and I walked cautiously into the forest. There was nothing that looked out of place or abnormal until I got to a small clearing. It had signs of fighting in there. It looked to be a firebender against an earthbender. _Just my luck, my two elements, a freak to both nations, _I thought. Burned trees and grass was everywhere I looked. Rocks were sticking out of trees, a crater in the ground, and the surface near one end of the trees was uneven. I was still observing the clearing when I heard a voice behind me.

"Hey, you, what are you doing here? Come here now." I turned around and saw a teenage boy. He was almost bald except for a ponytail on top of his head. He had a scar on his left eye. His eyes were a golden-red and he wore Fire Nation clothes. With that in mind, I figured he was Fire Nation and would imprison me if he found out I could bend two elements. Still thinking, I remembered his tone and I could tell that he was used to people listening to his orders; meaning he was born of noble blood.

_Should I run away, or just go to him? _In my clothes I would look like and regular Earth Kingdom citizen. I was wearing a dark green with light green trim, thin hooded long sleeved tunic, with black pants that also had light green trim, and black combat boots. The only things that would give me away are my hazel with a tent of red eyes and my red velvet hair. But lucky for me, my hood was up and the shadow of it would hide my eyes._ But what if he did capture me and put me in prison like my dad? _I shuddered and made my decision. Clenching my fist to bring up a wall of Earth to block the teenager's path, I turned and ran away as fast as I could.

The boy just ran around it and shot fire at me. Leaping behind a tree, I escaped the shot, unburned. I started running again and I could feel the boy shooting fire at me; they all missed, but were getting nearer their target, me, with every shot. I couldn't see his last shot at me, but I could feel the heat creeping toward me. Without a second thought, I used a move my dad taught me when I was six. I jumped into the air, turned, and shot my own fire. It burst through his and continued to go for the boy. He just blocked it with his arm. His face showed surprise at me firebending. All this was happening while I was still in the air, turning. A thought came to me as I the ground facing the direction I was headed. _Great, now he probably thinks I'm the Avatar is going to want to come after me more,_ I thought sarcastically to myself.

I shook the thought out of my head and continued to run. The boy was still after me, shooting fire at every chance, when I burst out of the forest. I was panting to hard and had too many tears running down my face to see the fist-sized rock in the road. I tripped, falling onto my face. The Fire Nation boy had caught up to me. He was panting harder than I was and had sweat dripping down his face.

"Finally, I have the Avatar in my clutches." He said proudly to me. I just shook my head to the side.

"I am not the Avatar. If I was I would use air bending to blow you back. But I can't, because I am not the Avatar!" I said in a deeper voice, so he would think that I was a guy and not the Avatar.

He just shook his head at me and then all I saw was blackness. _I can't believe he just knocked me out. _That was my last thought as I slowly lost consciousness.

I can feel gently rocking back and forth as if I was back in Mom's arms. She used to rock to me asleep when I was a kid. _Mom? No, she is dead. Then who is rocking me? _I flung open my eyes to see a gray-black ceiling of a ship. Siting up too quickly, my eyes suddenly go black and I have to wait a few seconds for my sight to return.

I look around the room and see three of the walls are plain and have nothing on them. The forth one, the one on the opposite side of the room, has a porthole. The window has five iron bars going down it, blocking anyone's path of escaping through there. I looked at the wall beside the bed. It had one gray door. I slowly got up and walked over to it; while making sure my hood was still up.

Banging on the door, I yelled, in a slightly deeper voice, for someone's attention, "Hello? Is anyone there? Um, I don't know how long I have been in here, but I really have to go to the bathroom!"

"We'll let you out in a minute, but we have to tell the _prince _you are up and awake." Surprised that someone answered me, I backed up too quickly and tripped over my own feet, falling on my butt. Embarrassed at myself, I slowly got up and sat back down on the bed to think over what my guard said. _'I have to tell the prince you are up,' what the heck does that mean? What prince is he talking about?_ I was still pondering over my thoughts when I heard the locks of my door being opened.

In Fire Nation armor, the boy who chased me through the forest strutted in like he owned the place. In his case, he probably does. I am guessing that he is the prince the guard mentioned.

Before he could say a word, I asked him, "Who are you? Where am I? How long have I been here? Where are you taking me? You kidnapped me; that's a federal charge, you know. Why am I here? And, finally, before you say anything, I am not the Avatar." I sucked in a big breathe to ask more questions that were on my mind, but he stopped me when he raised his hand. He had an angry look on his face which said, _if you don't be quiet, I will personally kill you._

"I am Prince Zuko and you are aboard my ship. As for our destination, I will not tell you. You are here because I thought you were the Avatar. But I know you are not because the Avatar is supposed to be an airbender. But I will keep you here and give you as a present to my father, along with the real Avatar. To think of how much honor it would give me to bring the very first two-bender to him." He told me.

I just rolled my eyes. _I will not speak to him. I will become a mute. _He walked to the door and motioned me to follow him. I got up as the door opened; showing two guards with a piece of rope in one of their hands. Walking slowly towards them, I held my wrists out to the guard. He jerked my wrist toward me so I would get there faster. The guard then tied the rope too tight around my wrist and I winced. Lucky, my hood was still up and they couldn't see my face, but I knew it was only a matter of time until some pulled my hood down to see that I was a girl. I pulled my arms away quickly and turned my hands; trying to loosen the rope a little. All I succeeded in was giving me rope burn.

The guard raised his hand to slap me for pulling away and I automatically flinched. Closing my eyes, I awaited the pain that was going to come; it didn't. I opened my right eye to peek out. I saw Prince Zuko holding the guard's arm, stopping him from hurting me.

"If you do that again and I won't stop him." Zuko told me as he released the man's arm. I nodded franticly and he motioned the guards to grab my arms. They lifted me up from the ground and I kicked my feet desperately. One of the guards rose his free hand threatening and I stopped my kicking, relaxing.

"You learn quickly, peasant." Zuko said as he walked out of the room. The guards holding me up just followed; not even sweating at carrying my weight. We continued walking down the claustrophobic halls while I looked at the walls. They were covered with Fire Nation banners and had their flags too.

We came up to some stairs and Zuko started climbing them. My guess is that they lead to the top deck. _Ah, fresh air will be nice to breathe_. Climbing up the steps, I looked at my guards and they had finally started to sweat. _Serves them right for making me look like I can't walk. I might be small but I have a lot of muscle, and you know what they say, muscles weigh more than fat. _They put me down and had me walk next to them, with their hands still griping my arms tightly though.

I looked up to the end of the stairs and saw a light peeking out of the door. My estimate was correct, it lead to the deck. Now I just have to figure out why Zuko was bringing me up there.

Zuko, the two guards, and I got to the deck. The guards let go of my arms and I gasped inwardly, taking in the seen. The deck was covered with soldiers, but that wasn't what made me gasp. What was floating in the water next our ship did. Shivering, I took in the gigantic icebergs. My hooded green tunic wouldn't help me in this intense cold.

Zuko saw me shivering and said, "Why are you cold? You're a firebender so you should be warm."

I just stared at him under my hood; keeping quiet. _I'm an earthbender, too_, my look told him. Realization flooded onto his face and his cheeks got a light pink tent to them.

"Oh, I forgot. You, go get him something warmer to wear." He said, pointing at my guard that he stopped from hitting me. "So, did you figure out why I brought you on deck?"

I just stared at him, not giving him any satisfaction that I haven't thought of a reason yet. My face stayed absolutely emotionless. _He has all his soldiers out here. Maybe Zuko wants to show them off, telling me that I can't escape. That's it! _I mentally slapped myself on the forehead for not thinking of it before.

"You are here because you cannot escape from this—" he stopped at the sounds of all his men gasping. I gasped and stared behind him. Zuko turned around and saw the light blue light. Completely forgetting about me he yelled, "Helmsmen, head a course for that light!" As he finished saying that, a strong breeze came and blew me back a few feet. I bumped against the rail with a loud thump that made Zuko turn to me. "We are going to get you your very first prison mate; the Avatar."

My guard came back with a Fire Nation cloak. He looked around the deck in question; everyone was moving around. He shrugged his shoulders and tried to hand me the cloak. I took a tentative step forward. Then I raised my hands, signaling that my hands were tied and couldn't put on the cloak.

Zuko sighed and took the cloak. He walked up to me and cut the rope with a dagger that was strapped to his thigh. I nodded my thanks and rubbed my wrists. The prince handed me the cloak and I twirled it around me. Immediately I felt the difference and smiled. The cloak wasn't too heavy, and I could tell it was fire proof. _Well that's good; I won't have to worry about being burned on a ship full of firebenders, and I won't have to worry about burning myself. _

"Guards, take the peasant to his room." Zuko said. The guard nodded and prodded me in the back. I stumbled forward and almost fell on my face. My hands were still untied so on my way down I firebent fire out of both of my closed fist to push myself back on my feet. When I was done, my guard slapped me and tied my hands back together. My hood flew off, showing my braided hair and face. I looked at Zuko through my watery eyes. He had a shocked look on his face and looked at an older man on deck. The old man had a curious look on his face that was mixed with surprise. "Make sure that she doesn't firebend again; if she does, teach her a lesson and then tell me." Zuko said as he looked back at me. The prince had a harsh look in his eyes and I knew that I would be punished badly if I firebent. _Nope, not going to firebend; don't want to be slapped again._

The guard pushed me for a second time and I stumbled, falling on my face. _Ow_, there is going to be a bruise there because of the slap and the fall. As I was slowly picking myself off the ground, the guard got impatient and pulled me up. This time, the guard didn't push me, he just nudged me. I continued walking and looked back to see Zuko talking to the old man.

"My name is Lee, and you are?" The guard asked me politely as we were walking to the door of my room. I looked at him in question. He shrugged and said, "It's all an act; I'm actually a nice person. And you look like a nice person, so might as well try to talk to you. You could talk to me and tell me your name or I could just call you Red, as in your hair color."

I thought about his offer. I actually liked the name Red, and most people thought my real name is weird. "Zia," I told him, coming to a decision as we reached the door. He opened it and I nodded my thanks to him. Lee took off his helmet and I was surprised when I saw that he was a teenager just like the prince. He looked about nineteen and had shaggy black hair that gave him a rugged look. He had strong features and I could easily say he was handsome.

"If you need anything, just yell and I'll be here. Oh, and by the way, you have a lovely voice," Lee told me smiling flirtatiously and I felt my cheeks burn. There is doubt that they are as red as my hair now. I smiled politely at him and asked him how long was I on the ship. "Two days," he answered and closed the door after I walked in.

Walking to the bed in the corner, I let myself fall flat on my face. After a few minutes of relaxing on the bed, I got up and walked over to the window. Putting my back against the wall, I slid down into a meditation pose. _Stupid boys and my girl hormones, _I thought to myself as I relaxed and meditated.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Spar**

**Zia's POV**

_Knock, knock_, the sounds of someone knocking on a metal door startled me from my meditation. "Hey Red, get yourself up. You have a visitor," said an unfamiliar muffled voice. It sounded like it was coming through a soldier's helmet. I quickly got up and looked out the window. The sun was setting on the horizon and I could still see the gigantic icebergs floating in the freezing water.

The metal door creaked open and I whirled around to face whoever was visiting me. I got in my firebending stance and waited to see who it was. It was the old man that Prince Zuko was talking to when I left to my room. He looked at me and smiled. I got out of my stance because the old man was standing casually and he didn't look _too_ threatening.

I walked over to the bed and sat down, pulling my legs up to my chest. He walked over with his hands in the air, innocently, and sat on the edge.

"Hello, miss, my name is Iroh. You may call me Uncle, though. Would you like some tea?" he asked me politely. He had a gently voice and I liked him immediately. He reminded me of my grandfather. I nodded my head, realizing I hadn't eaten or drank anything in two whole days. Iroh smiled and looked at the closed door, calling out, "Lee? Please bring the tea, we both would like some." Iroh glanced back at me, "I hope you like jasmine. It is my favorite and, sadly, the only kind we have left. Well, I always save the best for last." He smiled sadly and shook his head like he was ashamed of not having any other kind of tea.

Lee walked in and I could see he was holding a tea tray. He set it down and grinned at me. I started blushing and looked down at my clothes. I then realized I also hadn't showered in 2 days either. I was probably covered in dirt, my clothes were probably torn, and I most likely smelled really bad. Embarrassed, I twiddled my thumbs, waiting for Lee to leave. He didn't and I could still see his shoes standing in front of me. I could feel his amber eyes staring down at me while I waited in the awkward silence.

"Lee, would you like some tea? I have enough here for the three of us." Iroh asked the teenage boy standing in front of me. _Please say no; oh please, please say no,_ I silently pleaded in my head to whoever would listen to a young girl's nervous pleas.

I could still feel Lee's eyes on me when he replied, "I would love too, General Iroh," and I mentally slapped my forehead, "but, I must get back to work or I'll get in trouble with the prince." I gave a mental sigh of relief and prayed my thanks to whoever was listening to me.

"That's too bad, Lee," Iroh said sadly as Lee walked to the open door. I nodded my head slowly, pretending that I was sad that he had to leave.

Lee opened the door a little wider to get out and as he was closing the door he grinned at me, "Good bye Miss Zia, see you later." I blushed again and waved a small goodbye to him.

Looking back to Iroh, I could see that he was smirking at me, "Don't fall for him, my dear, he is a naughty one." I looked at him curiously. _I wasn't falling for him; I was just blushing because he was obviously flirting with me. Everyone blushes when they have someone flirting with them, right? I mean just because he is a handsome guy and I am a girl trapped on a ship, doesn't mean that I like him. _

"So your name is Zia? It's a beautiful name by the way; a very traditional name for an airbender though." He said to me, changing the subject, as he handed me my cup of tea.

I nodded my head and smiled, taking a sip of my tea before replying, "Thanks. My great-great-great grandmother was an Air Nomad but not a bender. She left the Southern Air Temple and married an earthbender. She had only one child who was an earthbender and when she had kids, they were all earthbenders; and so on. There hasn't been an airbender in my family for hundreds of years. And it is my mother's family tradition to give all of their children Air Nomad names."

Iroh looked at me and said, "So I'm guessing your mother is the Earthbender and your father is the firebender." I must have had a look of surprise on my face when he mentioned the firebending because he smiled, "My nephew, Prince Zuko, told me about the chase in the woods and I saw you firebend when you fell early this morning. By the way, you are a very powerful bender."

I nodded, "Thanks, and you're right. My dad was the one who could firebend. His side of the family is a strong line of firebenders. My dad taught me everything I know about firebending." I smiled sadly, remembering my dad.

"My dear, you have a very different family background then most people these days." Iroh told me. I nod, because it is true.

Looking down, into my teacup, I noticed that the cup was already empty. "Master Iroh, this is the best tea I have ever had!" I exclaimed to him.

He smiled widely, "Thank you, Miss Zia, I made it myself. And please, I told you to call me Uncle. Well I must be going to my room," he stood up and yawned, stretching. "A man needs his rest."

I laughed and stood up, "Yes and a woman needs her rest, too." I walked him to the door and he knocked on it five times.

I heard clinking of the locks and Iroh turned to me, "Zia, tomorrow we will be at the South Pole. I believe you will be staying in here until Prince Zuko has the Avatar. I will try to see you tomorrow. Sleep well."

I nodded and said goodnight as the door closed the door behind Iroh. I turned around and flopped down onto my bed. I groaned and rolled over on my back. Sitting up slowly, I pulled my shirt and shoes off, leaving me in only my bindings and pants. I collapsed back down and pulled the blanket up to my chin. The blanket was ruff, like wool; which, luckily, I was used to and fell quickly asleep.

* * *

I awoke the next morning to a person standing over me and shaking my shoulder roughly. Groaning, I opened my eyes to see a scarred face scowling at me.

"Ahhhhh!" I screamed, "What the... Zuko, why are you in my face like that?!" I sat up, swinging my legs to the side of the cot, and started to kick my feet back and forth.

He shrugged, "Get up. We're going spar."

"But I didn't even have breakfast yet."

"There is no breakfast for prisoners."

"Aw, come on, please?" I begged and gave him my best pouty face. He grumbled, looked away, muttering and then looked back at me.

"Fine, we'll stop by the kitchen on the way to the deck." He finally agreed.

I jumped up and yelled, "Yes!" Zuko looked at me and the corners of his mouth twitched upwards, against his own will, it seemed, because his mouth quickly formed a straight line again. His eyes slowly slid down my body and his mouth fell open. Turning his head away, he abruptly closed his mouth and eyes. Confused, I looked down and blushed. I was still only wearing my top binding and pants. I saw my tattoo of the green dragon that wound around my arm, from wrist to shoulder; its head was on my shoulder blade and breathing fire on the back of my neck.

Smiling at the backstory of the tattoo, I quickly grab my clothes and put them on. Zuko grabs my arm and roughly pulls me to the kitchen to get the food. I had to practically run to keep up with his fast pace.

Stopping by the kitchen, I saw Uncle in the dining room, stuffing his face with food. Giggling quietly, I walk up to him while Zuko orders someone to get me some food. I finally reach him, and I bow very low to show him great respect.

"May I sit next to you, Uncle Iroh?" I ask as politely as I could. He nods, not even stopping to answer me as he pigs out. I sit down softly and someone sets gown an apple and some disgusting looking gruel with floating pieces of meat in it. It had a tannish-brown look to it and the meat looked like it was still alive and breathing.

I cringe and grab the apple, which looks decent enough to eat, and take a big bite out of it. I make a face because I forgot how sour green apples could be. My mom always said it was ironic because the green was sour and red was sweet, which were the opposites of the Fire Nation (red) and Earth Kingdom (green). I, personally, would never say that either of the nations was sweet, but nobody argued with my mom; she was the nicest person ever and everybody liked her.

Feeling eyes on me, I look up to see the prince staring at me with his golden eyes. I give him a questioning look and he asks me why I didn't eat the 'soup.' I look at him to the soup and back again.

"I don't eat meat and would you eat that, stuff?" I ask him.

He shakes his head and makes a disgusted face at my 'soup.' "Hurry up and eat peasant. You too, Uncle; I need you to teach me the advanced firebending set."

"I'm done eating. Thank you," I say to the servant coming pick up my food, "and let's go." The servant nods with a surprised look on his face. I guess people, cough Zuko cough, here don't say thank you, or maybe it's because I'm a prisoner. It could be both, though.

The prince nods, grabs my hand and begins to drag me to the top deck. On the way there, I glance behind me to see Uncle following calmly.

We make it to the deck and Zuko finally let's go of my arm. I pull it to me and rub it; I think it was popped out of socket from being yanked all the way here.

I start to stretch my arms and legs out while Zuko talks, unusually quiet, to his uncle. When I risk a look at them through my spread out legs, Uncle has a smirk on his face while Zuko's is beet red. Standing up straight, I shrug to myself and drop into a side split. I lean to the right and grab my foot with my left hand. Wincing slightly from not stretching in three days, I count slowly to ten, then switch to my left foot. After I continue going through all of my stretches, and call to Zuko.

He strides over to me and I finally notice what he is wearing, or what he is not wearing. Black plants with a red cloth as a belt, no shirt, and he is barefoot. I feel my face burning slightly as I try not to stare at his six-pack. He reaches me at last and I start think he walked slowly on purpose.

"So, where are your soldiers? I think you might need them to help you win." I tease him with a smirk on my face.

He looks me up and down and smiles evilly, "Oh, I know I will bet you. You have no earth here to bend, and I can tell you're not that trained in firebending."

I smirk, "Oh don't be too sure of that, Hot Head." I turn on my heel and walk to end of the deck. I throw off my cloak and pull my tunic hood down from my head. The wind takes the loose pieces of my hair and they fly onto my face.

Zuko's still in the spot I left him with an unreadable expression on his face, so I call out to him, "Hey, I thought we were sparing, not daydreaming? I'm good with either because it will be a nice clean forfeit on your part, or a brutal defeat for you. No matter which way, I still win."

That shakes him out of his daydream and Zuko walks to his end of the deck. Out of the corner of my eye, I see some crew gathering to watch and place bets on this spar. From what I can tell, only a few people have placed their bets on me wining.

I see a flash of color and my attention is brought back to Zuko, who had just punched a fireball at me. My eyes widen a little and I quickly take a lunge forward so the fire goes right over my head. Squatting with my left leg bent and my right leg fully extended behind me, I spin my right leg in front of me, still extended, with fire coming out.

The fire follows my leg movements like a whip and Zuko blinks in surprise at my skill and color, but quickly regaining his senses, he jumps over my whip. I stand up and get into my earthbending stance. As Zuko descends, I jump forward and slam my fists into the metal deck. Fire rushes forward toward Zuko's feet and he firebends out of his feet to get out of the way. If he landed there, my bright green fire would have burned his feet.

Zuko lands in his stance a few feet ahead of my fire as it dissolves into the air. He shoots three medium size fire balls at me. I leap over the first, land on my hands on the deck long enough to push and flip over the second, I flip again over the last and land on my hands. This time as I push off the deck to land on my feet, my flame follows them and heads straight for Zuko. I land, balanced, on my feet, with enough time to watch Zuko dive out of the way of my two walls of fire.

As he is diving, he shoots a combination of small fireballs at me. I dodge all of them and quickly shoot a fireball at Zuko. While he is distracted, I keep coming toward him. My goal is to get as close to him as possible and then push him over the railing of the ship.

We both are panting and I can barely breathe in the cold air. I raise my arm up and wipe the waterfall of sweat off my forehead. He makes a fire whip when I am 'distracted' and tries to hit me with it.

I smirk and run straight for him. Zuko had fallen for my trick; act distracted and to get the opponent to go on the offence. Then while they are bending, run straight at them. I jump, leap, roll and dodge all the attempts Zuko makes at trying to hit me. When I am only a few yards away, I glance at my surroundings, and shoot a medium sized fireball at his left side. As I suspected, he dives to the right and is still in the air when I shoot a small fireball at him. I didn't put enough energy in it to burn, and only enough power to make him fly over the railing that was right behind him. He falls over the side of the ship with a yelp and I calmly glance around, and then walked to the railing.

When I glanced at the crew members, there was stunned and surprised looks on their faces. Laughing inwardly, I look down to see Zuko holding desperately onto the anchor.

"So I win, yes?" I asked him as calmly as I could while panting hard. The prince nods with a strained look on his face and I couldn't hold in my laughter anymore.

Zuko glares at me, "Are you going to help me up, now?"

"Aw, Hot Head needs help climbing up. Should I?" I put on a fake thoughtful face. After a few seconds, I say, "Fine, but what do I get in return, if I do help you up?"

He yells up to me, "I'll let you take a shower and give you clean clothes to change into while the ones you are wearing now are washed."

I nod in agreement and climb over the railing, onto the anchor. I descend the anchor till I am a few feet above Zuko, and hold my hand out to him. He looks at it suspiciously, then me, and then back at my hand.

"Oh, just grab my hand already!" I yell at him, impatient. He grabs my hand firmly and I pull him up to my level. Once he has a firm hold on the anchor, I let go and climb higher. I hold my hand out and he grabs it again. We keep repeating this until we get to the railing. I look up and see Uncle and one of the crew members holding their hands out to us. I ignore them and climb gracefully over the rail.

Zuko grabs their hands and as soon as he is on the deck, he storms off to his room. "What? No 'Thank you for helping me, Zia,'" I yell at him as he shuts the door. I could swear there was smoke forming from his ears and nostrils when he slammed the door.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: The Great Boy Fiasco **

**Zia's POV**

I walk into the bathroom and instantly felt a difference in the temperature. I started to sweat right away and took of my cloak. Lee had escorted me to the bathroom and still hadn't left me alone. So, I just stood there awkwardly while he started at me intently.

"So, I don't mean any disrespect or anything, but can you please get out?" I asked as politely as I could. He was really starting to get on my nerves; he was already past the creepy level and is already midway through stalker mode.

The creeper just nodded and flashed me a smile that showed his perfect white teeth, "Sorry, I was just distracted by your beauty."

I snorted, "Beauty? What beauty? I am covered in dirt, sweat, and not to mention I probably smell."

Lee shook his head and said smoothly, "That might be true, but I can see through all that. I have never seen a more beautiful woman in my life."

I can feel my face burning and I know I have that shy smile on my face. I just bend my head down and look at my bare feet. I hear him walk over to me and I suddenly feel a rough, calloused hand gently grab my chin, pushing my head up. His face is just a few inches from mine and I try to take a step back. The hand on my chin gets tighter and I am roughly jerked back forward.

My hazel eyes stare into his amber ones and I am suddenly too scared to move at all. He has a hard look in his eyes that I usually only see in drunk soldiers. But I can feel his hot breathe on my lips and it doesn't smell like fire whiskey. His head dips toward mine and I can feel my body temperature rising with my anger.

His lips touched mine and they are hard but warm and wet. They crushed my lips for a few seconds and I finally unfroze. I stared at his closed eyes and tried to think of a plan. He licked the bottom of my lip and I unwillingly opened my mouth for him. When he slipped his tongue into my mouth, I bit down hard. He yelped and stumbled back. I turned my head away and spat into the corner of the room.

"And this is why I don't talk to guys. If you would have gotten to know me, then maybe I would have liked you, but no." I told him angrily. Lee looks at me and opens his mouth to talk to me.

"I thought you liked me." He said at last.

I shook my head, "No. You're first warning was when I stepped back. You knew I didn't like you." My fist clench and I could see the smoke coming out of them. "I suggest you leave me alone and I won't kill you."

The teenager slowly crept to door and as he was closing it, Lee said, "The kiss? Did you like it?" He quickly shut the door after, when he saw my fire aimed at his head. The green fire hit the door and left a big scorch mark on it.

I walked to the door and quickly locked and bolted it. I walked to the shower and turned on the water. It didn't matter if it was hot or cold; my temper would make the water hot. I took of my clothes and jumped into the water. The water was cold and it felt good on my hot skin, so I just stood in the water for a few minutes, soaking in the feeling of the cold. The water was soon turned warm and I had to get out and wash.

I start to smell all the soap for the least girly, but least manly, too. Just because I don't want to smell like a flower doesn't mean I want to smell like a man. When I finally smell one that smells like plain soap, I hear someone banging on the door.

I groaned, hopping out of the shower and quickly wrapping a towel around my body. I cursed quietly when I saw how short it was on me; it ended only a few inches below my butt and was showing off my tanned long legs.

I walk over to the door and pull it open. I gasped when I saw who it was. I was suspecting a random soldier or Lee, and maybe even Uncle, but definitely not the Fire Nation Prince.

"Hey Prince Hot Head. You better have a good reason for interrupting my cold shower," I said, blushing slightly at his expression. He looked like he had just run 50 miles for at how red his face was right then, and to add to that, he was gaping like a fish out of water. I snickered slight and then leaned up against the door, waiting for him to answer.

It takes Zuko a minute but he finally nods and raises his hands up. In them were a bundle of clothes that, I think, were for me. I take them with my left hand, which wasn't occupied at the moment with keeping my towel up.

"Thanks, and if that is it, then goodbye," I say softly as I stop leaning on the door and start to close it with my right foot.

The prince shakes his head and tries, key word tries, to clear his throat. "Uncle, ahem," he starts back up in a slightly deeper voice, "Uncle said that lunch will start in an hour, and he said not to be late."

I nod and start to close it again, but he stops me with his hand. I look at him and he doesn't meet my gaze. His eyes are looking to the right of me, which was the door.

"Uncle also said for me to apologize for not thanking you for helping me up earlier," Zuko's voice rose a few pitches at the end of that sentence and he quickly cleared his throat again. I know that he was lying about Uncle telling him to apologize. Zuko would never listen to his uncle about apologizing. I wonder what has gotten into him. "Erg, um I am sorry for not thanking you and thank you for helping me up."

"It is fine and your welcome, I guess?" I laugh nervously and I know that my face is light pink. "So, can I go back to my shower now?"

The Fire Nation Prince moved his head up and down in a yes with his face still a bright red. I study it for a second and finally close the door, deciding that it was more of a deep pink color than a red.

When the door is locked and bolted, I put my back against it and let out a breath of air. That was one of the most embarrassing and awkward things ever things ever.

I removed the white towel from my body, and I set it down on the bar next to the shower. Quickly getting in the shower, I immediately wet my hair again and washed up. About thirty minutes later, I turned off the shower and just stood for a few seconds, remembering these past few days. A sudden thought hit me and I think about the Earth Kingdom town I was just in. _I wonder what happened to it. Did they send someone after me when I didn't show up? Did the Red Dragon burn down the village? Or was it all not real? Did they make it up just to send me away?_

I shakily step out of the shower and grab my towel. Although it was still wet from earlier, it did its job and I was soon dry. Trying to get those thought out of my head, I grab the clothes that Zuko gave me and took a look at them.

The top was a small, blood red long sleeved tunic, the head hole would be too small for my head and the black pants were going to be tight, too, but I could work with. Along with those, I was given a long, blood red silk belt, black flats, and white bindings. I put on the bindings, which were surprisingly the perfect size, and stared at the shirt.

An idea suddenly came to me and I jumped up from my spot on the floor, to my old pile of clothes. I grabbed my old pants and felt along the waist seam for my father's small knife. When I finally felt it, I slid it out and ran off to my new outfit.

I seized my shirt and cut off from the top of it to the armpits. I pulled on the tight, newly sleeve less shirt and looked at it. I looked at my tan arms and tattoo, thinking that I was showing way too much. Seeing the sleeve part of the shirt, I slipped them over my arms, practically covering the entire tattoo. I looked down again and saw that the shirt covered down to a little below my belly button. I snorted, took the knife and cut it off near the middle of my stomach. _Much better,_ I thought to myself.

I slid on the tight pants and pulled them all the way up, so the pant legs part didn't drag on the floor. Pulled all the way up, they went above the bottom of my shirt and I laughed at the look. I took the silver knife and cut the waist part in a slight slant, on my hips. The pants were perfect now, but they needed a flash of color.

I grabbed the belt and folded it in half. I knotted the belt around my hips, but it didn't look right. I untied it, unfolded the silk cloth, and tied it back around my waist. _Perfect. _I put on the black flats and thought that I was already girly enough, taking them off. I grabbed my black combat boots and slipped them on. I was glad there was some familiarity to the new look.

I walked slowly to the mirror on the other end of the room, trying to bring up my courage to actually look at myself. When I finally reached it, I gradually slid my gaze from my feet, to my legs, my stomach, my chest, and finally, my face. I gasped, looking at all of my reflection in the full length mirror. My long wet hair flowed in small waves all the way down my back. All the red I was wearing brought out the red in my hazel eyes and I looked, dare I even say it, pretty.

There was a bang on the door and I slid the small Fire Nation knife into its spot in my combat boots. I grabbed the red cloak and tied it around my neck, slipping up my hood. When I was sure I was completely covered, I opened the door a crack.

Uncle stood there looking at me and I called out, "Hey Uncle."

He nodded and said, "I thought I would stop by to see if everything is okay."

"Everything is fine. How much time do I have until lunch?" I asked.

"Fifteen minutes, Zia."

I nodded goodbye and he walked away, whistling. When he rounded the corner of the hall, I opened the door a little wider and poked my head out. Seeing no one, I ran quietly down the hall to the deck, cloak flapping soundlessly as I made my way up. When I finally reached the deck, I walked quickly to the other end of the ship. I reached the railing and sighed, sitting down into a meditation pose. I closed my eyes and relaxed, taking in the feeling of the sun. The cloak still covered all of me, so I most of looked like a red blob siting on the railing.

A few minutes later, I heard the sound of footsteps coming toward me before the person spoke. This time, I wasn't surprised when I heard Zuko's voice asking, "What are you doing, peasant? Making an attempt to escape?"

So we were back to Grumpy Hot Head. Not even opening my eyes, I answered, "If I was making an escape attempt, I would already be gone. Not here _meditating _on a railing."

"You meditate?" he asked, sounding surprised. I was about to nod, but I remembered my hood was up and I answered aloud.

"Yes. It's a way to calm the mind and soul. It is to keep my firebending running on purpose, not anger." I answer calmly.

"Who taught you that?" the prince asked, sounding actually curious this time.

"I can't remember. I have been doing this ever since I left my home..." I abruptly cut off my words when my voice cracked at the word home.

I opened my eyes and turned away from the ocean to look at Zuko. He had a faraway look in his eyes as if he was remembering something.

"Prince Zuko, would you like to meditate with me?" I asked him softly, not letting him know that I had seen that sad look in his eyes.

He nodded and we sat down, side by side, with our backs touching the railing. I created a red fire in my palm and Zuko copied the move. I pulled my hood down to feel the sun on my head and closed my eyes.

Speaking aloud, I said, "Close your eyes and picture your flame in your mind. Let everything else float out of your mind. Focus only on that flame. When you are truly focused, your breathing should match the flame in your mind and palm. Only then are you completely calm. "

I stopped talking to picture my bright red flame. I focused intently on it, letting all my thoughts float away, my thoughts of my parents, of my old friends, of Lee, of Prince Zuko, of Uncle, and of the Avatar. My breathing slowed down and matched my flame.

Only when I felt completely calm did I stop meditating and open my eyes. I saw my flame and noticed that it was completely still, no flickering at all. I glanced to my left and saw Zuko trying to calm himself. I could tell by the way his flame was flickering and growing. A few minutes later, Zuko's flame was only flickering every once in a while but it still matched his breathing.

I closed my eyes again and sat there, feeling the heat of the bright sun on my head, for a few more minutes until I heard Uncle come onto of the metal deck. "Prince Zuko, Zia, our lunch is ready."

I open my eyes with a sigh and unfold my legs, rubbing some feeling back into the numb parts; Zuko stands up and holds his hands out for me to grab. I grab his warm hands and he pulls me up. "Thanks," I say to him as we walk to the other end of the deck.

He nods and walks faster to catch up to Uncle. I can hear them mumbling from where I was but I ignore them for a moment. My thoughts are rushing back to me like a tornado, quick and harsh. I immediately groan and grab my forehead, stumbling a little because of the huge headache that came all of the sudden.

When I arrive at where Zuko and Uncle are, my head feels like it has been hit a thousand times with a rock. I moan quietly, hoping neither of them heard my unmistakable cry of pain. Unfortunately they both did and looked at me. Even a few of the crew members glanced at me. I guess I was louder than I thought.

Zuko's look was more of one of annoyance and Uncle's was one of worry. "Are you okay, my dear? No offence, but you look horrible." Uncle asked me, his voice was calm but had a small hint of worry in it.

"I'm fine, I just have a headache. That's it." I tried to say reassuringly but it came out a mumble, which was way too loud in my head. I whimper and rub my head with two of my fingers. "I'll think I'll go rest after I eat though," I whispered barely loud enough for them to hear.

Uncle nods and says, "Well, let's not waste any time. Let's eat." He sits down at the table that magically appeared and someone immediately puts a huge plate with an enormous pile of food on it. I sit down next to him and someone sets down what I had for breakfast in front of me. Only this time, there is a small piece of bread nest to the gruel.

I grab the bread and tear a small piece off. Stuffing it in my mouth as ladylike as I could be, I swallow it whole and take a huge bite of the piece of bread this time. I chew and try to savor the taste of it. I will never know when the next time I will be able to eat decent food.

I finished my bread, grabbed my apple and stood up. "Thank you, I will be going to my room now."

But before I could even finish my sentence, a whistling flare was sent up in the sky and Zuko yelled "Get me a telescope, now!" A servant ran up to Zuko and handed him one; he opened it and followed the trail of the flare down to an old, abandoned Fire Nation ship. "The last airbender, he is quite agile for his old age," he then turned slid his scope sideways and after a few seconds, he backed it up and saw something in the ice desert. "I have finally found the Avatar, as well as his hiding place."

Through my headache, I registered it and asked Zuko, "May I see please?"

Zuko whips his head around and contemplates this for a few seconds. He finally seems to come to an answer and hands me the telescope, "Fine, but only for a few seconds."

I put it up to my right eye and squint, trying to see what the Fire Nation prince saw. I finally saw to figures, one in orange and yellow, and the other in blue. I slid the scope to the left, looking for the 'hiding place,' and there it was in its small glory. It had one small smoke stack and I could see some small tents behind the snow wall.

Shaking my head, I hand the telescope back to Zuko and he hands it to one of the soldiers. With that, I turn my back to the tiny tribe and tell Uncle to come get me when we arrive there.

I walk to my room, passing Lee on the way, and glare at him; daring him to talk to me. Luckily, he doesn't take the dare and leaves me alone. Opening the door with a sigh, I drag my feet to the cot with a feeling that something very bad is about to happen.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: To Capture and Escape**

**Zia's POV**

By the time we arrived at the water tribe, my headache was almost completely gone. A few minutes before, Uncle had come get me from my cell and told me that we had arrived. He also said that I was snoring up a storm when he came in and was lying face first on the bed, drooling. We both quickly agreed to keep that to ourselves.

Alone on the deck, I glanced around and saw that a few feet ahead of the ship was the wall of the tiny city. When the Fire Nation ship made contact, it jerked forward and there was a loud cracking noise of the ice.

I saw a huge crack headed for a little toddler boy that had fallen down and yelled, "Look out!" I pointed to him and a teenage girl followed the trail to see the young boy. She gasped and ran to him; barely pick him up in time before the crack opened up where he was at. I sighed in relief and relaxed; I had unknowingly tensed up. The girl nodded her thanks to me and joined the rest of the villagers. The majority of them looked like older women and children, besides a teenage boy.

There was a few seconds of awkward silence and then there was a hiss of steam. I glanced down and saw Zuko walking stiffly down the ramp that had just opened. I stifled a laugh and jumped down from the ship. When I reached the ground, I tucked and rolled to my feet. I was on my feet and looked to where Zuko was to see the teenage boy run at Zuko, who was still on the ramp. Zuko stopped his attack and kicked him into a pile a snow. I walked in front of the water tribe people and stopped on the side of them. Zuko walked up to them, while he was glaring at me, and glanced at their faces. I briefly looked at their faces, too, and noticed there wasn't an air nomad.

Zuko must have noticed too because he yelled at them, "Where are you hiding him?" I scowled when he reached past the teenage girl and grabbed the old woman next to her. "He'd be about this age, a master of all elements." He shoved the old woman back to the teenager. I skimmed the villagers' faces; they all had a confused expression on their face and I knew right then that they didn't know that the Airbender was the Avatar.

Zuko must not have believed them because a second later he threw a fire whip above their heads. I gasped and threw my own a ball of green fire at his, to stop it from reaching the villagers.

They all gasped and backed away, looking scared. Zuko glared at me and yelled at the water tribe, "I know you're hiding him! Where is he?"

There was a yell from the teenage boy from before and I shook my head sadly. _If you would have remained silent, you probably could have managed to defeat Zuko._ As I suspected, Zuko skillfully ducked to avoid the attack and the boy was sent flying over Zuko. The boy rolled to the side, evading Zuko's fire blast, and threw a boomerang. The silver weapon just missed Zuko's face and I had to admit, I was impressed by the throw.

A little boy in the crowd yelled, "Show no fear!" and tossed the teenager a spear. My face softened a little at that and I giggled quietly; that was one of the cutest things ever. The teen caught the spear and ran full speed at Zuko, who stood at the ready.

When the teenager reached him, Zuko broke the spear tip off and poked the boy in the head a few times with the end. Zuko broke the spear in half and I laughed quietly to myself as the boy fell to his butt, rubbing his head.

I saw the sunlight reflect off a something in the distance and heard a faint whistling sound. I remembered the boomerang and saw it coming back, aimed at Zuko's head. There was a loud clunk sound when it hit the back of the metal helmet Zuko had on. This time, I laughed really hard and Zuko glared at me with fire daggers coming out of his clenched fist.

I just stuck out my tongue and wiggled it at him when all of a sudden Zuko was flying through the air. His helmet went flying through the air and landed on his butt, which was straight up in the air.

I stood there for a second and then I busted out laughing; tears were coming out of my eyes. There was cheering from the children of the water tribe and I looked to see who had saved the teenage boy.

To my surprise, it wasn't an old man, but a young child riding on a penguin. The boy head orange and yellow clothes on; he was an Air Nomad. He had a bald head with and arrow on his forehead. When I glanced at the back of his head, the arrow went all the way down to his neck.

"Hey Katara; hey Sokka." The boy said to the two teenagers. So that's what their names were.

I guess they had met before because the boy nodded and said, "Hi, Aang. Thanks for coming."

They all looked back at Zuko who was, at the moment, just getting to his feet. He spread out his arms and all of the guards moved to a semicircle around Aang. I inched my way beside the water tribe people and some of them looked at me warily. I raised my hands and pulled down my hood, showing my Earth Kingdom skin. They nodded and looked back at the soldiers, still eyeing me suspiciously, but less now.

Aang looked at all the soldiers, pointing his staff at them. Suddenly he jumped up and slammed down the top part of the staff down on the snow. Air blew the snow on all of the Fire Nation soldiers and he said to Zuko, "Looking for me?"

Zuko had a surprised look on his face and asked, "You're the airbender I saw? You're the Avatar?" He then got an angry and determined look on his face as he stared down the young boy.

I faintly heard Katara say, "Aang?" and Sokka, "No way!" I wasn't surprised and stood directly in front of the water tribe. From the way Zuko and Aang were walking, I could tell there was going to be a fight; I didn't want anyone else getting hurt.

"I spent years training, meditating, searching for the Avatar. And you're just a child." Zuko said dramatically.

Aang looked at him for a few seconds and said simply, "Well you're just a teenager." I laughed a little but stopped when Zuko shot a wave of fire at Aang. He grunted in surprise and twisted his staff to keep the fire from burning him.

They circled again and when Aang was standing only a few feet ahead of me, Zuko shot fire at him. Aang blocked it with his staff, but some if it got past and I put up my own wall of fire to protect the people from being burned.

Aang looked at the people behind him and I saw the fighting leave his eyes. The villagers were holding each other in fear, even though the fire went no were near them. Aang stopped twirling his staff and looked at Zuko, surrendering.

"If I go with you, will you promise to leave these people alone?" he said. There was a few seconds of silence when Zuko nodded his head and Aang surrendered.

Two guards walked forward and one grabbed his staff and his arm while the other just grabbed his arm.

They were pushing him forward when Katara ran forward, "No, Aang, don't do this!" I just shook my head and walked past her.

Aang looked behind and called, "It's okay Katara; take care of Appa for me." The girl nodded and had tears in her eyes when the guards shoved Aang forward, again.

I heard Zuko yell, "Set a course for the Fire Nation; I'm going home." I rolled my eyes; _oh, no we are not. At least Aang and I aren't. _

Halfway up the ramp, I turn and bow to the Southern Water Tribe. When I was standing up straight, I made eye contact with Katara and winked. She stared at me in amazement and slowly got a determined look on her face. I gave a wicked grin and turned back to the ship. I walked the rest of the way and turned around to face the tribe as the ramp closed.

When it was shut, we walked all the way to the top deck and met up with Uncle. I stood next to Aang and stared down at my feet. Zuko started talking about something and I completely zoned out, trying to think of an escape plan.

"Take the Avatar to the prison hold, and take this to my quarters." Zuko handed Aang's staff to Uncle, who handed it to a soldier next to him. Zuko walked off to who knows where, completely ignoring me.

The two guards holding Aang took him down the stairs, and I followed, walking slowly behind. I heard Aang's voice, but didn't hear the words.

"Silence," said a guard. I heard that one loud and clear; it was Lee.

I heard a take in of a breath and immediately thought, _Aang._ I jumped to the side when I heard a whoosh sound and saw Aang, and the guard behind him, go flying past me.

I ran toward him, took my knife from my shoe, and cut his ropes. "Come on," grabbing his hand while stuffing the knife in its spot, "your staff is this way."

I dragged him behind me, to the deck. He ran beside me and I pointed to the door across the deck. He nodded and jumped, shooting air out of his feet to open the door.

We ran and I vaguely heard Lee yell, "The Avatar has escaped!" In the middle of the corridor we meet up with a bunch of soldiers.

Aang got into his stance and I put a hand on his shoulder, shaking my head. He relaxed and I pushed my hands forward; bright green fire came out of my palms and blasted the soldiers into the wall behind them.

I winced and looked at Aang. He looked at me and shrugged; we ran forward and I was leading the way to Zuko's room. On the way there, we ran into a few people, but between us too, nobody could stop us.

We arrived there and I gestured at his staff, "My staff!" I was about to walk into the room, but the door slammed shut before I could step inside. While I was trying to get the door open, I heard some mumbling and bright flashes of light.

I finally got the door open and I saw Aang air bend Zuko's mattress at him, hitting him into the wall. Aang then airbended it up, with Zuko laying on it, into the ceiling and I giggled, grabbing Aang's hand.

I pulled him out and he airbended the hatch door open the top deck. This time, Aang pulled me and I stumbled a little because of his surprising strength. He threw his staff in the air, which turned into a glider, and wrapped his left arm around me. He jumped, grabbing hold of his glider for a few seconds, the glider wobbled when I felt a lot more weight then there should have been, and we fell to the metal deck.

I managed to roll to my feet and, saw what the extra weight was. It was Zuko. Somehow he had managed to grab hold of us when we jumped and made us unbalanced.

Zuko and Aang were both lying on their stomachs a few feet away, groaning. Zuko got to his senses first out of the two and growled at me and Aang. Aang quickly floated to his feet using airbending and got into his stance.

Before anyone could bend, there was a loud groan that filled the air. I whirled around and my eyes widened. There in his furry glory, was a giant flying monster. On top of it were Katara and Sokka.

"What is that?" Zuko and I asked at the same time. We both looked at each and glared.

"Appa!" Aang cried out. So that's who Appa was; his giant flying creature. I was brought out of my thoughts when I heard Aang grunt. Zuko was now shooting fireballs at him, like there was no tomorrow.

I swiped my foot on the ground and fire was sent toward Zuko; easily distracting his attention away from the Avatar, who was trying to catch his breath, standing on the railing. Zuko shot fire at me and turned back to Aang, shooting fire at him again. I growled and sent up a wall in front of me and Aang. Unfortunately, Aang slipped and fell overboard when he saw the fire coming at him.

I heard Katara yelling Aang's name and I turned to Zuko, sneering. I rapidly shoot at him and he blocked, backing up. Then, all of a sudden, Aang burst out of the water, bending it around him, above the ship. I looked at him and gasped, the arrow on his face was glowing, along with his eyes. Aang had an unmistakable look of fury on his face as waterbended down to the deck.

I backed away slowly. Aang landed on the ship and the Fire Nation soldiers surrounded him. He spun the water around him and sent it flying, flinging everyone back into the railing, including me. I heard a loud crack sound and felt a sharp pain in my ribcage when I was flung into the metal railing.

I cried out, tears springing into my eyes and saw Aang slowly falling to his knees. The glowing had started to fade and I heard Appa land on the deck. The two siblings ran over to Aang and he grunted out hellos. He widened his eyes and looked in my direction, as I was getting to my knees. I whimpered as I tried to stand but fell back to my knees instead.

Aang stood up and ran over to me, yelling at the same time, "Sokka, can you get my staff for me?" Sokka said yes and sprinted off for it. Aang reached me and picked me up bridal style. He then walked quickly to the flying bison and accidently jostled my ribs.

I screamed in pain and he hurriedly said sorry over and over again; guilt was written all over his face and I mumble, "It's okay."

Aang nodded his head and said, "I have to jump on, I'm so sorry if I hurt you." He jumped into the air using airbending and landed as three of the soldiers regained consciousness. I wanted to shout a warning but my voice evaded me and blackness was slowly creeping into my eyesight.

Luckily, Katara saw them and used a waterbending moving, but only succeeded in freezing Sokka's feet to the deck. She turned around, repeated the same move as before, and this time froze the Fire Nation men.

One of the men yelled out as he was being frozen and I recognized Lee's voice. I used the last of my strength to unfreeze his face with a small fireball that flashed by his face. Katara jumped onto Appa the same time as Sokka climbed up and we took off into the air.

I heard Zuko's voice from where I was laying down on Appa's saddle, "Shoot them down!" I yelped and tried to sit up to see. My back shifted and I cried out, almost passing out from pain.

Aang jumped over me and airbended, using his staff, the ball of fire away; it hit the glacier next to us and the ice fell onto Zuko's ship. If I was sitting upright, I would have burst out laughing at the look of rage on Zuko's face.

Aang, Katara and Sokka started laughing and I asked, my voice weak, "What's so funny?" They all turned to me and I think Sokka and Katara didn't notice I was in the saddle with them by the way they gasped at my voice.

"Nothing," Aang said, "how's your back?"

"I think I have a broken rib or two but I'll live." I told him.

Katara looked at me and asked, "Aren't you one of Zuko's crew members who tried to capture Aang? Wait, you're the one who winked at me earlier. Why are you here?"

I shook my head and went to answer, but Aang beat me to it. "She helped me escape and even fought to protect me. I owe her."

"I was taking prisoner by Zuko about three or four days ago in the south western part of the Earth Kingdom. Apparently, he gets all moody when you earthbend at him," I said.

"But you're a firebender! I saw you firebend; we all did!" Katara said as everyone nodded, not believing my story.

If I could have moved my arm to scratch behind my head without my ribs killing me, I would of. "Well, you see, I can bend fire and earth. Both of my parents were powerful benders of their element; my mom was an earthbender and my dad was a firebender."

Katara and Sokka stared at me with very shocked and disbelieving faces, while Aang's was less shocked than theirs because a hundred years ago there was such a thing as 'cross-breeding.'

"So you know, while you are probably still processing this in your mind, I would really appreciate if someone would drive Appa to the nearest healer to heal my ribs!" The last part I virtually yelled at them because I was probably dying right then.

My chest felt like it got crushed by a heavily overweight man seven thousand times. I was sweating up a storm and my hands were bleeding from my nails that were digging into my skin. Suddenly, I remembered that Katara was a waterbender; most girl waterbenders could heal.

"Katara, can you heal?" I asked her, my voice sounded strained and weak at the same time.

"Do you mean first aid? Yes, I can."

"No, I mean waterbend healing."

"I haven't been trained in waterbending; I am the last waterbender in the whole water tribe," she said sadly. I was about to say something really sarcastic about being the first two bender ever, besides the Avatar, and no one taught me how to deal with being a freak, but I surprisingly held my tongue.

Instead I just said, "I'll teach you. I've seen a waterbender heal before." That was partially true, except, I was the one who being healed. "Come here and bring your water container. When she did what I told her, I continued, "Pull the water out of it and cover your hands. Then place them on the hurt area. You should feel something in the water, and it should glow a bright blue. And there, you're healing."

When I mentioned 'hurt area,' I rolled over on my stomach, wincing as I did. "My hurt area is my right shoulder." She softly placed her hands there and I said, "A little lower; perfect."

I got the familiar weird tingling sensation in my shoulder and knew that Katara was healing my broken ribs. I let out a sigh when she was finished and rolled over onto my back. Sitting up, I rolled my shoulder and twisted my back. My back was a little sore, but there was no more unbearable pain.

I looked up to Katara and nodded, "Thanks. I think you are a natural. It feels great, like I wasn't even hurt."

She brightened instantly and said, smiling widely, "Thanks um what's your name?"

"Zia, sorry I didn't tell you before. But I was a little distracted at the moment; who can blame me?" I replied, giggling. They laughed and we all sat there silently, contempt, until Sokka asked where we were going.

**A.N- Hey guys! I wanted to tell you thanks for all the follows and favorites! Also, now that summer is over, I have a bunch of stuff to do, so yeah. I don't really like this Chapter, but I want to know what you guys thought of it. So please, oh pretty please with a cherry on top, leave a review so I know if I am going through the series too fast or if it is horrible, OR if you are a die hard fan and cannot wait for the next chapter. **

**Anyways, take the time to review and have a good day! Thanks! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Family and Friends**

**Zia's POV**

**A.N- Hey guys! I am so sorry for the wait for this chapter. I had, as our good friend Zuko would say, 'lost my stuff.' But luckily I found it yesterday and stayed up all night writing this so, enjoy. I hope you guys like it! **** I even made it longer than usual to make up for it. Enjoy and remember to review, please!**

I was jolted awake from my dream that was about my best friend, Kira, with Aang's hyper voice. "Wait until you see it, Katara. The air temple is one of the most beautiful places in the world."

I groaned out loud and pulled my sleeping bag over my face; I didn't hear Katara's reply to Aang. Apparently the only two people who like to sleep in was me and Sokka, who was snoring away right next to me.

Aang had stopped talking and I heard his feet softly hit the ground a few feet away. I took that in and decided he was on Appa; which meant that we were about to leave again. I rolled over on my side and started to doze off again when heard Aang walk over to me and Sokka. "Wake up, Sokka, Zia. Air temple here we come!"

I just moaned pitifully and turned onto my stomach. Sokka muttered, "Sleep now. Temple later," and started to snore again. I grunted in agreement to Sokka's wise suggestion and pushed my face into the dirt; hoping I could get a few more minutes of sleep before Aang came up with a crazy plan to wake us up.

Sadly, luck was not on my side that morning and a few seconds later I heard from Aang, "Sokka wake up! There's a prickle snake in your sleeping bag!" In response to that Sokka shot straight up, still in his warm sleeping bag, and yelled, "Ah! Get it off, get it off! Ah!" This was followed by a loud thump sound of Sokka falling flat on his face.

Despite having been more than half asleep, I giggled along with Katara and Aang. Then I sighed, getting out of my comfortable sleeping bag. Shivering, I grabbed my red cloak, while Aang told us that it was time to leave. I draped the cloak around my shoulders and looked down at my clothes under it; I was still wearing the red ones I got from Zuko.

"Hey, guys, remind me when we get to a port, to buy some new clothes. These are definitely not my color and, besides, I stand out a lot. Hmm, I wonder if I would look good in blue." I said the last sentence to myself and started to daydream about shopping for clothes. Suddenly, Kira's image appeared in my mind and I remembered the times we used to go shopping with both of our moms, seven years ago. The smile that had formed when I was daydreaming about clothes quickly disappeared and tears had slowly formed in my eyes. I wiped them away and hoped no one saw them.

Katara, who had heard and saw what had happened, opened her bag, looked in, and said kindly, "I think we have enough money to buy some nice clothes for you when we get there." I nodded thanks to her and sniffed a little. She looked at me questioningly and her eyes asked me if I wanted to talk about it. Even if I just met her yesterday, she acted like my best friend and mother. I did a quick shake of my head and she shrugged. Although, her eyes still were watching me curiously.

We all got on Appa and I wrapped my cloak around me, lying down in the back of the saddle. Katara and Aang sat down on Appa's head while Sokka joined me in the saddle on his back. Sokka stared at me and I ignored him for the moment; I began to think about the Southern Air Temple and if I should have told them that my many great grandmother originally came from there.

I wondered what my family and old friends would think of me now: a freak, two-element bender, traveling with the avatar, traitor to the Fire Nation, a juvenile delinquent with a tattoo, or a teenage girl who is in marriageable age but doesn't have any suitors. Would I be a disgrace? Or would they be proud of me?

My stomach growled and I was brought back to reality. I sat up and looked at Sokka, who was still staring at me, saying, "Hey, guys, I'm hungry. Do we have anything to eat?"

Sokka said, "Yeah, I'm hungry, too. I'll find us something to eat." He then started to look in a bunch of bags for food and I heard his stomach growl. My stomach growled in reply to his and we both looked down at our stomachs in embarrassment.

"Hey, stomach, be quiet. I'm trying to find us some food," Sokka then went back to searching for food. He held up a bag and turned it upside down. Only crumbs of some type of meat came out and I looked away, knowing what used to be in the bag. "Hey! Who ate all my blubbered-seal jerky?"

"Oh, that was food?" Aang said innocently to Sokka, "Zia and I used it to start the campfire last night. Sorry." I looked at the mountains that were in front of us when Sokka gave me a flabbergasted look.

"You WHAT?! No wonder the flames smelled so good." I stifled a giggle and risked a glance at Sokka. He had a wistful look on his face and this time I had to laugh. Actually, last night, Aang and I knew that it was food. We did it on purpose because it would be funny to tease Sokka. It didn't bother us because we were both vegetarian.

I zoned back into the present when Aang said something like "We are almost there!" In my opinion, Aang was a little too happy about going to his home. Katara and I shared a glance at each other because we both knew that it would break the poor kid's heart when he finds out he really is the last airbender.

"Aang, before we get to the temple, Zia and I want to talk to you about the airbenders." Katara said softly.

"What about them?" Aang asked.

"Well we just want you to be prepared about what you will see," I paused and climbed my way to Appa's head, where Katara and Aang were siting. "The Fire Nation is merciless and ruthless. They took my father away from my mother and me because he fell in love with an earthbender and had me. Both of my parents are dead because of them, just because they were in love. Imagine what they would have done to your people because airbenders were next in the Avatar cycle. I just want you to know that there might be no more airbenders, except for you."

Everyone stared at me when I finished talking and I just shrugged and looked away. I was over my parents' death but it still hurt to talk about it. Tears were starting to form for the second time today and I was in desperate need of a subject change.

Luckily, Katara started to talk to Aang, again, changing the subject back to the airbenders. I released a small sigh and listened to what Katara was saying. "The Fire Nation killed my mother, too and they could have done the same to your people."

"Just because no one has seen an airbender doesn't mean that the Fire Nation killed them all. They probably escaped into the mountains." Aang said, looking a little less hopeful.

"Look, I know it's hard to except—trust me. But you have to try. I just don't want you to get your hopes up for nothing. It hurts for them to be broken." I said understandingly.

"No, you guys just don't understand. They only way to get to the air temple is by flying bison, and I doubt the Fire Nation have any flying bison. Right, Appa?" Right on time, Appa groaned beneath us and I felt the vibration of it through my whole body. I shivered, that felt so weird.

Suddenly, Aang shouted hold on and I immediately grabbed onto Appa's fur. He pulled on the reins and we shot upwards. Wind was blowing my hair behind me and my eyes were drying out.

I kept my eyes open though, just to see what it looked like. I glanced at the rest of the group and a flash of silver on the mountain caught my eyes. They widened for a second and I tried to get a better look, but we were on top of the mountain already.

The next thing that caught my eye was the air temple. It was practically built into the mountaintop with eight towers spaced out randomly. There were large pathways that slithered like a snake up the mountaintop to the biggest tower.

"Wow it's beautiful," I said, staring in awe at the air temple. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Katara and Sokka nod to what I had said.

Aang looked at it with loving eyes and patted Appa's head, "We're home, buddy. We're home." I looked over to Aang and wrapped my arms around his shoulders in a comforting way.

"So where and when do we park Appa and get to explore?" I asked the twelve year old boy. He pointed to a clear area at the bottom of the pathways and we flew down to the ground. Before the flying bison even reached the ground, I jumped to the ground and rolled into a landing. I have nothing against Appa; I just like the ground better than the air.

The others got off when Appa landed and I asked, "So while you guys go explore and do whatever, I have to go do something." Katara looked at me funny but Aang just shrugged.

"Sure, let's meet up here at noon, okay?" I nodded and Sokka continued, "If you get into trouble or need help just shoot some fire or earth into the sky."

"Okay, I got it. See you guys later!" I smile and started to jog down the mountain. About thirty minutes later, I stopped and walked. Kira had kept popping into my mind and tried to force her back down. But my memories of her were persistent and they eventually won the war in my mind.

* * *

"_Zia, Zia, Zia, Ziaaaaaaaaa! Come on you walk so slooooooooowwwww. You're like a turtle-duck. Hurry up! I have to show you something!" My eight year old best friend yelled from her window in her house. I had just finished learning some new firebending forms and was sore from practicing them over and over. _

_I had just reached her front door when the waterbender opened it and I jumped in surprise. Kira was tall for her age and was almost five foot. She towered over my smaller form and was forced to crane my head to look up into her incredibly excited bright blue eyes. Like me, she was a hybrid of two different nations, Water Tribe and Earth Kingdom. The only difference was she could only bend water and I could bend fire and earth. _

_Her face was dripping with water and so was the rest of her body, even her shoes were wet. I believed that she had been practicing her waterbending and discovered she could do something she had been taught to do and that was why her face was practically glowing with excitement. _

"_Yes Kira? What did you learn this time?" I said, exhausted. She always told me what she learned and so, along with my fire and earthbending technics, I learned waterbending technics too. She just grabbed my hand and pulled me all the way to her room. It was like transporting all the way to the North Pole when you walked into her room. Blue was everywhere you looked and there was animal pellets on the ground. It was even freezing cold in there because she kept icicles hanging from her ceiling and water all over her floor. Today there was a small bowl on her small bed that was filled with water. _

"_Well, remember how accident prone I am? Yeah well I accidently got a cut on my finger when I was eating and Mommy showed me how to heal." She said with an excited look in her eyes, like that was the most awesome thing ever. She was jumping up and down like a rabbit who took chi-enhancing tea. _

"_So? A lot of people know how to heal." I said a little confused at her excitement. I even knew a few things about first aid because of my firebending. _

"_Not like I do. Mommy showed me how to heal with waterbending!" She practically yelled in my ear, which she bended down to do. This time I was starting to get excited too. That was awesome! _

"_Show me!" I said and she smirked. _

"_I knew you would be excited. I just need someone to heal, though." She said a little disappointed at not being able to show me her new skill. I shrugged and grabbed my dad's dagger and pulled it out. She grabbed it and yelled, "What are you doing?"_

"_You need someone to heal and I will be that person. I'll just make a small cut on my arm and you can heal it. Please?! I really want to see it." I gave Kira my best puppy-dog eyes and she thought about it for a moment. After a few seconds she nodded reluctantly. _

_The older girl let go of my dagger and I held out my left arm, palm facing up. I took a deep breath and dug the sharp edge gently into my forearm. Blood started to come up and I winced, dragging the dagger two inches closer to my wrist. I lifted my dagger and dipped it into the basin of water, cleaning the dark red liquid of the shiny blade._

_I put up the weapon and held up my left arm to Kira. She lifted her hands up in a waterbending move and the water flowed onto her hands. My best friend closed her eyes and concentrated for a little bit. The water turned a blue, the color of her eyes, and I gasped. _

"_It's beautiful." I said in awe. Kira opened her eyes and relaxed her shoulders a little. Moving her hands to my arm, she gently rested them on them on it and my forearm started to get a little tingly feeling. Less than a minute later, she removed her hands and I looked at my arm. _

"_Wow! It's gone! Well, almost gone except for the scar." I said, amazed and envying my best friend. I felt my arm and the scar. "Awesome. Totally awesome." _

"_I'm sorry about the scar. I couldn't stop it from doing that. I tried my hardest." The waterbender looked down in defeat and I felt bad for her. _

_So, I gave her a huge hug and said cheerfully, "I love it! It will remind me of my best friend and the best waterbender ever when I look at it." I stepped back a little and she looked down at me with tears in her eyes. _

"_Really? You're not mad at me?" She asked hopefully. I shook my head and prepared for what I knew was about to happen. She stepped forward wrapped her arms around mine, immobilizing me. Kira picked me up and spun me around before setting me back down. "You are the bestest friend ever!"_

"_Yeah, I know. Now let's not tell our parents about this, 'kay? I know that I would get an earful if my mom and dad found out. You're parents too. Anyways, tell me how you did that with the water. Maybe I could do something like that to my fire."_

She nods and started to explain it to me.

* * *

I arrived at the spot on the mountain where I saw the flash of silver light and looked around. There was a small clearing and I walked toward it. Light caught my eyes and they roamed the area in the clearing for anything shiny.

Spotting something, I walked to it and gasped. It was a pair of Fire Nation swords. They were old, but not rusted or broken. I picked them up, perfectly balanced. Whoever owned them last kept them in perfect condition. I set one of the swords on the ground and examined the other. It had a black hilt with gold and red tiny threads woven into it. I touched the blade, expecting it to be sharp and cut me, but instead, it was dull. I would need to sharpen them.

I picked up the other sword and put them together. They fit perfectly. Then, all of a sudden, I got the feeling that someone was watching me. I whirled around, sword ready. Even if I didn't know how to use them, they still could protect me somehow. The person I faced was way worse than I anticipated. I would rather face an assassin who was sent to kill me before I saw this person. That's because the person I was facing was supposed to be dead.

"Dad? Is that really you?" I asked not believing in what I was seeing. I dropped the swords and they clanked onto the ground.

He nodded, "Hey Kiddo, long time, no see." If I didn't have so many questions in my mind, I think I would have fainted. But instead of doing the normal thing for once, I just rambled on about him being dead.

"Honey –wow— honey! Calm down. I am dead." He said as if that was going to make me feel better. "You are in the spirit world, Turdhead. Calm down already." When he used my childhood nickname I shut up really quickly.

"Okay. I'm in the spirit world. First, how in the world did I get here? Second, if you're here then where is Mom? And third—" I cut myself off and jumped onto him in a hug. I was expecting to go right through him but surprisingly, he was solid and we were able to hug.

Dad let go of me and I stepped back, looking at him for explanations. "Well, first things first. When you put the dual swords together, they brought you here. I guess they have a spiritual link to them and we both know that you are very spiritual. I'm here because I need to tell you and teach you something. Mom, on the other hand, wasn't allowed to come see you because she had no um, how did they put it, purpose for seeing you. But, she told me to tell you that she loves you very much and is very proud of you for sticking with the Avatar."

I took that in and said, "How long do we have until I leave or you leave?" Tears were definitely falling onto my face and Dad wipes them off.

"Shh, don't cry my little Turdhead. We have about an hour so we better get started. I am here to teach you how to use these swords. They may not be deadly now because of the dull blade, but believe me, they will be." Dad says, recapturing his army voice when he used to train me.

I giggle a little and salute, "Sir, yes, sir."

My father picks up the swords and examines them, giving me time to study him. He looks exactly like he did when he got captured. A little grey in his pitch black hair, hazel eyes that had a hard yet kind look to them, he was my height now though, and pale skin. The only things that I got from him were his eyes, firebending, and his height. Although, some people used to tell me we had the same nose and plush lips. Looking at him now, I could kind of see it.

"Are you done studying me? 'Cause I would rather teach than be glared at by my teenage knucklehead of a daughter." My dad said, teasing me. I nodded and laughed. "Dual swords are not like other swords. They are two parts of a whole. Individual, they are like every other sword, but together they are unlike any other."

I nod, "Okay so it's kind of like benders. People with just one element are strong but the Avatar, bender of all four main elements, is the most powerful human being."

Dad thinks about it for a second and then nods, "Never thought of it like that but yes. Nice concept. Maybe you're not a knucklehead after all."

I grin and smile widely, "So, what's next?"

Pulling the swords apart, he showed me a basic maneuver. In a simple move, my dad tossed the swords in the air and caught them by the flat part of the blade. "Think you can handle that? Your turn."

The swords were in arm's length and I grabbed them by the hilts. I looked back up at dad but he was already gone. I fell to my knees and whispered, "Bye, Dad. Love you." After a few seconds, I got up and stuck the swords into my belt to hold them. I then walked back to where Appa was. It took me about thirty minutes but when I got there, I saw Sokka running to a tented area, yelling something about lemurs and dinner.

Suddenly wind came out of nowhere and flew Sokka back into a wall. "Sokka!" I yelled and ran to him. "Are you alright? Where is Katara and Aang? What happened?"

Sokka pointed to the now nonexistent tent and shouted for me to hear him over the wind, "I'm fine. Aang is right there and here comes Katara."

Katara arrived and asked the same thing I did, "What happened?"

"He found out that the firebenders killed Monk Gyasto!" yelled Sokka.

I gave him a questioning look and he returned it with an 'I'll tell you later' one. "Oh no! He must have triggered his Avatar spirit! Zia come with me to calm him down." I agree and Katara and I try to walk over to Aang. I earthbended a pillar in front of us to stop the wind from pushing us back to Sokka and I pushed it forward until we were right besides Aang.

"Aang, I know your upset, and I know how hard it is to lose the ones you love. I went through that when I lost my mom." Katara said to the Avatar, who had a circle of wind around him while he was floating in the air. His arrows were glowing, along with his eyes.

"I went through that too when I lost both of my parents. I thought that I had lost my family. I pushed my friends away but soon realized that my friends were part of my family. Even with Monk Gyasto and the airbenders gone, you still have a family. Sokka, Katara and I are your friends. We are even more than that actually. We're your family. You guys are all I have and I don't want you to push us away like I did to my friends!" I yelled to him and he started to float down to the ground. The wind became less harsh and finally stopped.

"Zia, Katara and I are not going to let anything happen to you." Sokka said softly to Aang.

Katara grabbed the kid's hand when Aang's arrows and eyed had stopped glowing and then legs had crumpled and he landed on Katara. He said, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. It wasn't your fault." Katara said sympathetically to Aang.

"But if the Fire Nation found this temple; that means they found the others too. I really am the last airbender." Aang cried out and I just couldn't take it no more. I grabbed Sokka's hand pulled him into a hug with Katara and Aang.


End file.
